Major accident shuts down Interstate 89

The Vermont State Police is asking motorists to seek alternative routes due to heavy traffic in the area of the Winooski River Bridge.

Please be advised southbound at the Winooski River Bridge is still down to one lane, and will be for an undetermined amount of time to allow for clean up.

A tractor-trailer plunged off Interstate 89 southbound into the banks of the Winooski River.

The four-vehicle accident happened just before 9 p.m., a Vermont State Police trooper said. It shut down the southbound lanes between exits 16 and 14 for nearly 5 hours. Crews from across Chittenden County responded.

State police said a driver lost control, side swiping a guardrail. That first car was then rear-ended by a pickup truck, police said.

Another car was rear-ended by the tractor-trailer, which crashed through the guardrail. Heavy rains had been moving through the area.

The truck fell at least 50 feet to the banks below. It belongs to SGT 2000 Inc., a trucking company out of Montreal. The truck was carrying rolls of paper from Quebec to Massachusetts, police said.

The truck driver, Dany Gauthier, 37, of Sainte Ann de Sabrevois, Quebec, was pinned in the wreck and was pulled out. He was taken to Fletcher-Allen and is in serious condition.

Crews worked through the night to remove glass and debris from the road.

The passing lane remained closed as of early Tuesday to remove the truck from below. Crews were removing the wreckage by lifting it from onto the road and onto flatbed trucks.

A Hazmat team was called in as the truck was leaking diesel fuel.

“We have people here to make arrangements for cleanup, which will happen probably as soon as that truck is removed,” said Capt. Glenn Hall, of the Vermont State Police.

Emergency crews looked over what was left of the guardrail, bewildered at the site.

“I’ve never seen a truck go over the bridge here, and it's certainly significant given the distance of the fall,” Hall said.

As of Tuesday morning, the right lane at the accident site was open to drivers.

As well as replacing the guardrail, Vermont Agency of Transportation workers are also inspecting the bridge for other damage that may impact safety, Hall said.

The other drivers and their passengers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.